Kendrick Lamar Visits Tampa

On Friday, Sep. 1, 2017, the west coast king of rap, Kendrick Lamar, visited Amalie Arena for the second to last show of his Damn. Tour. The tour was in support of his fourth studio album, “DAMN.”, with 36 shows across the United States and Canada.

Lamar made history when all 14 tracks from “DAMN.” simultaneously landed spots in the Billboard Hot 100 chart. (Photo Credit: Alex Smith/Achona Online)

Upon arrival at the venue, the anticipation and excitement among fans was instantly apparent. The sea of people was dotted with mustard shirts and the occasional kung fu headband, two of Kendrick’s most recent trends with the release of DAMN.

Senior Morgan Salzsieder loved the show’s merchandise. “Kendrick always has the flyest fits, so I knew the merch booth would not disappoint.”

When performing, no extravagant light show or smoke machine could distract the audience from his commanding presence. Lamar had not visited the Tampa since 2013, when he opened for Kanye West on The Yeezus Tour. Throughout the show, Lamar mentioned this fact, saying the show had to be “extra lit” to make up for lost time.

Sophomore Sophia Arnold attended the show with friends, saying, “It was the best concert I’ve ever been to, hands down.” Fans were in awe of the visuals and performances Lamar brought to make the show a truly interactive experience. Arnold said, “I loved how cool the lighting was and that he even brought out karate professionals to dance onstage.”

Arnold and fellow Sophomore Gabby Butler in Amalie Arena, which can hold up to 20,500 people.(Photo Credit: Callie Mellon/Achona Online)